


Still with you

by kaijuborn



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Kinda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2016-08-27
Packaged: 2018-08-11 09:46:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7886308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaijuborn/pseuds/kaijuborn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes Roadhog would turn his head and glance back towards her, or so it seemed anyway, since it was difficult to tell where he was looking. Angela couldn't make out whether he was searching for his employer, Junkrat, or keeping an eye out for enemies coming from behind, or if he was actually checking to make sure she was okay. In either case, whenever Angela could feel his eyes on her, she gave him a curt smile, an affirmation that yes, she was still with him and would heal him if it was necessary. It was her job, after all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Still with you

**Author's Note:**

> I have a headcanon that Roadhog used to be married and have kids before shit went down in Australia, and that Angela reminds him of his late wife, even though he barely even realizes it himself. This is just a little drabble to get my thoughts out; it's not intended to be shippy. Enjoy!

Angela was wary of the big man calling himself Roadhog, and with good reason. He was a wanted criminal in more than a dozen countries, responsible for more than his fair share of robbery, murder, theft, arson and general mayhem. Not only that, but his physical presence was intimidating to say the least, towering over everyone at Overwatch, even Winston, his hands large enough to crush a man's skull and his true intentions hidden behind a terrifying pig-like mask. Angela had never seen him without it.

 

If there was anything good about him, it was that he provided ample cover for her to hide behind while they were in combat. She knew he had his own healing device, a crude inhaler with medical nanites that he breathed deeply from every time he got injured, so she didn't have to pay too close attention to his health. Still, no one dared to come near him, so staying close to him was usually the safest spot in any battle.

 

Sometimes he would turn his head and glance back towards her, or so it seemed anyway, since it was difficult to tell where he was looking. She couldn't make out whether he was searching for his employer, Junkrat, or keeping an eye out for enemies coming from behind, or if he was actually checking to make sure she was okay. In either case, whenever Angela could feel his eyes on her, she gave him a curt smile, an affirmation that yes, she was still with him and would heal him if it was necessary. It was her job, after all.

 

One time when enemies were closing in on them Angela had been unfortunate enough to be in front of him, doing her best to keep a connection with Fareeha, who was hovering somewhere far above them. Angela barely even noticed the danger until Roadhog grabbed her by the waist, one of his hands big enough to completely envelop her, and roughly dragged her aside just as an enemy opened fire. Angela switched targets with her staff and healed Roadhog through it, heart pounding in her chest as she had been moments away from peril, the sound of the gunfire ringing in her ears. Roadhog took care of the enemies with a couple of well placed shots.

 

Afterward, during a brief pause in the battle, he turned around to face her. The dark eyes of his mask peered down at her in a silent question. She was breathing deeply from the exertion of the combat, but forced a small smile.

 

“I'm fine”, she said. “Thank you.”

 

Roadhog grunted and turned around again, looking out for more enemies.

 

She almost never saw him or Junkrat while they were at Watchpoint Gibraltar; presumably they had found some place where they could hide away together, suspicious of anyone and everyone else. When they had first arrived, it had been her duty to perform a medical exam on them, which they had both managed to avoid for more than a month now. It was part of the Overwatch protocol, but she couldn't force them into it if they didn't want to; that would be against her code of ethics.

 

By just looking at them, Angela could tell they had their fair share of injuries and ailments. Junkrat was the worst of the two of them, prosthetics crude and ill-fitting, back hunched, skin burnt and hair falling out. He complained about a lot of it, often and loudly. Roadhog suffered through his aches in silence, but Angela still noticed the signs. He had trouble breathing, arthritis in most of his joints, definitely high blood pressure and it wouldn't surprise her if he had diabetes as well. She knew she could help him with most of it, if only he would allow her.

 

Another time, during a particularly intense battle in Nepal, where Talon agents had infiltrated an omnic monastery, Angela got separated from the rest of the group. She wasn't entirely sure what happened; one moment they had been right beside her as she paused to check if an omnic monk still had any vital signs, and the next they were gone.

 

She fought to keep down the panic rising in her throat as she jogged through empty hallways trying to find them. She could see signs of the struggle all around; blasts from Fareeha's rockets, spent flashbangs from McCree, small craters in the stone where Junkrat's grenades had exploded, and she could hear the battle further up ahead. Screams and shouts, gunfire, explosions; it was all noises she was far too familiar with, familiar to the point where she hardly noticed it anymore.

 

Rounding a corner, she spotted Junkrat further up ahead, lobbing grenades down a corridor and cackling like a maniac. She was wary of using her Guardian Angel ability to reach him, as he was jittery and unreliable at best, and she didn't exactly trust him to not throw a mine in her face if she startled him. If only she could see any of her other teammates; someone she trusted more to fly to.

 

Angela cautiously padded forward, clutching her staff, and suddenly came face to face with death. Four Talon agents, clad in black and faces hidden behind inhuman masks, eyes glowing red in the dim light, raising their guns and aiming directly at her. She froze, and for a split second everything seemed to stand still, caught in the moment between life and death.

 

There was a clinking noise, and then something sharp and steely pressed around her waist. She was abruptly jerked backwards, sailing through the air in a way that made her breath catch in her throat and her stomach feel hollow. The Talon agents didn't open fire; if it hadn't been for their masks she would've thought they seemed surprised. She let out a gasp as big, rough hands caught her, pulling her to safety.

 

Roadhog grunted and removed the hook from around her waist with unexpected gentleness, moving slowly to make sure the spikes didn't hurt her. Again he looked at her, studying her face; looking for any signs of injury, perhaps. Angela couldn't stop herself from shaking, hands trembling and adrenaline rushing through her system; she was sweating and still her skin felt cold.

 

She took a deep breath and gave Roadhog a short nod, all she could manage at the moment. It seemed to be enough for him; he grunted again and then turned his attention to the enemies, who all backed off when they saw the intimidating man heading for them. Angela pressed her back against a pillar, holding her staff tightly against herself and breathing deeply, forcing herself to calm down. She only allowed herself a moment or two before she pushed herself off again and headed back into the combat. She had to keep the others safe; it was her job, her duty.

 

Once the battle was drawing to its conclusion and most of the agents had been terminated or incapacitated, the rest being hunted down by McCree and Hanzo, Angela hurried around the temple, looking for injured people and omnics, looking for survivors, looking for Roadhog.

 

She hadn't seen him since he saved her, and it worried her. He was a big man and easy to spot, and the fact that she hadn't for more than half an hour now made anxiety nag in her chest. She hadn't seen Junkrat either, so perhaps the two of them had found a safe spot where they could rest a bit after the battle. It was what she told herself, though she wasn't entirely sure she believed it.

 

“Doc!”

 

The shout made her raise her head and look around. She spotted Junkrat across a small courtyard, waving at her. He rarely spoke to her, barely even thanked her when she healed him, so the call for her attention made concern clutch her heart. She flew over to him, feeling safer to do so now that the fighting was over and he wasn't carrying his grenade launcher anymore.

 

Junkrat seemed more nervous than usual, clasping and unclasping his hands.

 

“It's, ah, it's 'Hog. Big ol' drongo got 'imself inta trouble again.” He snickered a bit, but Angela could hear the genuine worry in his voice.

 

“Where is he?” Angela demanded.

 

Junkrat showed her around a short stone wall, where Roadhog was sitting propped up against a pillar, breathing even heavier than usual, wheezing like he couldn't draw enough air into his lungs. There was blood across his left arm and side, some of which had splattered all the way up onto his mask, and on the ground around him were three of his health canisters, already spent and crushed. He seemed to be out of them.

 

Angela immediately activated her staff, directing it at Roadhog. He made a noise, which eased some of her worry; it was obvious that he could feel the staff doing its thing. Angela handed the staff over to Junkrat, who looked surprised but took it anyway, holding it unexpectedly steady as he pointed it toward his bodyguard.

 

Kneeling down next to Roadhog, Angela stretched out and put a hand on his shoulder.

 

“Don't worry”, she said. “I'm with you.” She pressed her fingers underneath Roadhog's mask, looking for a vein to check his pulse, but to no avail. The man barely even had a neck. “I have to remove your mask.”

 

“Ooh, I wouldn't do that if I were ya”, Junkrat warned. Roadhog said nothing.

 

Bracing herself, Angela reached up and undid the clasps on the back of his head which held his mask in place. They came loose easily, and she was able to pull away Roadhog's mask and see his face for the first time.

 

Mako Rutledge wasn't a handsome man by any means, but he was still just a man underneath the terrifying mask. His features were reminiscent of the Māori people; broad nose, full lips, dark eyes and bushy eyebrows. Much like the rest of him, his face was littered with scars and blemishes. He looked weary and grave, dark bags underneath his eyes and wrinkles around his mouth, and suddenly Angela realized just how old, and how human he was.

 

“You're going to be okay”, she said, once again attempting to check his pulse and this time succeeding. She smiled a little. The staff was already doing wonders to him. “I'm still with you.”

 

Roadhog grunted a little, closing his eyes and letting his head drop backwards, heaving a sigh.

 

“I know”, he grumbled.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! <3


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